PRO TOUR SHADOWS OVER INNISTRAD

Steve Rubin quietly amassed Pro Points with consistent, solid finishes at Pro Tours in the 2014-15 season alongside multiple Grand Prix Top 8s, earning enough to lock in a spot in last year's Magic: The Gathering World Championship.

This weekend was one of firsts for him, as he found himself under the Pro Tour feature match spotlights for the first time. Along with that came his first Pro Tour Top 8, a long time reward after many years of playing Magic whenever he could.

His Green-White Tokens deck allowed him to dispatch friends and former teammates No. 23 Brad Nelson and reigning World Champion Seth Manfield in the quarterfinals and semifinals, earning him a seat in the final match against 2015 World Magic Cup championship-winning team member Andrea Mengucci. There, the power of Archangel Avacyn, Westvale Abbey, Nissa, Voice of Zendikar, and the resiliency of his battlefield allowed him to attack through Mengucci's Bant Company defenses multiple games, as he defeated the Italian pro 3-1 to earn the Pro Tour champion title and the $40,000 first place prize that comes with it.

Rubin is no longer the American who will quietly amass great finishes on the sidelines. He has transformed into a Pro Tour champion, locking in his return to the World Championship, where we will see him many more times in the feature match area. Congratulations to Rubin on a spectacular victory here in Madrid, Spain this weekend.

The Top 8 of Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad features multiple Hall of Famers and contemporary masters of the game. Hall of Famer Jon Finkel, current World Champion Seth Manfield, former Player of the Year Brad Nelson, Hall of Famer Luis Scott-Vargas, Platinum Pro Steve Rubin, Hall of Famer Shota Yasooka, Super Sunday Series Champion Luis Salvatto, and World Magic Cup winning team member Andrea Mengucci make up one of the most epic Pro Tour Top 8s in Magic history.

Which of these fine players will win the $40,000 first place prize and the Pro Tour trophy at the end of the weekend? Tune in to twitch.tv/magic on Sunday to find out!

No. 23 Brad Nelson and Hall of Famer Luis Scott-Vargas have risen above the field as the lone undefeated players at the end of Day 1. Will they maintain this momentum towards the Top 8 and the $40,000 first place prize here at Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad? Tune in Saturday and Sunday and find out!

Investigate the madness of Shadows over Innistrad and unlock the secrets of the brand new Standard and Booster Draft formats by tuning into LIVE coverage of Pro Tour Shadows over Innistrad! With a prize pool of $250,000, who will unravel the best decks and strategies and win the $40,000 first place prize and an invitation to the 2016 Magic: The Gathering World Championship? Tune in twitch.tv/magic starting Friday, April 22 at 12 a.m. PT/ 3 a.m.ET / 7a.m. UTC for live video coverage,and bookmark this page for the latest articles, decklists, and more!